Northern Taiwan
One of the most famous night markets in Taiwan, Miaokou's moreish mouthfuls are the main reason to find yourself in the rainy port city of Keelung, unless…
Must-see restaurants in Taiwan
Taipei
Housed in the former Taipei Fish Market – you can't miss it, it's a huge blue-and-slate-grey building – is this collection of chic eateries serving the…
Kinmen
By day it's just a no-frills kitchen. But by early evening, Damaiokou serves top-quality seafood to eager diners, packed around open-air tables beside the…
Taichung
A multitalented family built this graceful rustic restaurant with scraps. The meals they prepare are tasty and honest using only organic ingredients …
Shuitou Village
It's rough and ready, but this little eatery is a great place to try hand-harvested baby rock oysters (金門石蚵). A Kinmen speciality, they're available as…
Hualien
This extensive array of children's entertainments, live music and food stalls fills the pedestrianised lower ends of Bo'ai and Fuding roads south of…
Taipei
Outside of Japan, Taipei is the best place in the world for Japanese food. Several restaurants serving Edomae-style sushi (sushi that follows the Tokyo…
Northern Taiwan
This cool cafe is the centrepiece of 'Happy Together', a creative community of surfers who operate businesses here to support their wave-chasing lifestyle…
Tainan
Beef soup (牛肉湯, niúròu tāng), a Tainan speciality, is served as early as 4am for breakfast, right after the cattle are slaughtered. One of the best places…
Chiayi
There's always a crowd in front of this fabulous breakfast place in a small street next to Maison de Chine. They whip up five dozen varieties of…
Ximending & Wanhua
Snuck among the T-shirts and beauticians along busy Zhonghua Rd is this cheery, yellow-fronted hole in the wall with a few outdoor stools and tables. It…
Taipei
The novelty here is you choose the ingredients for a tongue-banging noodle broth – fill the canvas bag with your choice of vegetables, fake meats, tofu,…
Taitung
Popular with tour groups, MiBaNai is Taitung's classic address for local indigenous cuisine, including stir-fried venison, roast salt fish, betel-flower…
Lao Shan Dong Homemade Noodles
Ximending & Wanhua
Superpopular with locals, this unpretentious canteen in the basement of Wannian Commercial Building has been serving up handmade, thick, floury, Shandong…
Kaohsiung
A casual 1km stroll from Pier-2 Art Center through a charming neighbourhood brings you to this neat little place that serves up tasty and affordable soup…
Kinmen
Everything about Cocoya is small and cute, from the antique house containing it to the little 3D tableaux on the walls to the lovingly crafted vegetarian…
Eastern Taiwan & Taroko National Park
Decorated like a heavily stylised tree, this roadside coffee shop gets wildly busy on holiday lunchtimes for meal sets served on lotus leaves. These…
Taipei
There’s no English sign for this extremely popular unagi (eel) restaurant; you’ll spot it by the long lines waiting outside. The queue moves quickly…
Taipei
Salt Peanuts offers inventive brunch sets with delicately dressed salads, homemade bread and chunky vegetable quiches, as well as some of the best…
Taipei
At the northern end of historic Dihua St is Taipei's finest Guizhou restaurant. The interior is upscale but relaxed, and dishes are authentic and well…
Taipei
Hearty plates of Thai favourites from a tangy, lemony pad thai to coconut curries. Sara Thai has a rowdy, studenty vibe at night, but the service and food…
Taroko National Park
This unpretentious but contemporary place in Fushi/Taroko village serves set meals with plenty of fresh local ingredients, giving an accessible…
Central East Coast
Fronted by eccentric concrete art swirls and fish-smoking racks, this cafe draws crowds for its flying fish dishes. But if you don't like a mouthful of…
Penghu Islands
Simple but contemporary, this eat-at-the-counter outlet of a local seafood producer serves their juicy oysters in a range of formats: on the shell (NT$150…
Eastern Taiwan & Taroko National Park
If you're driving or cycling Hwy 9, consider stopping to eat one of the imaginative multidish meals at this outwardly inauspicious roadside diner 7km…
Northern Taiwan
This clean and efficient little shop close to City God Temple serves tantalising Taiwan-style roasted duck shredded on a bed of rice (鴨肉飯; yāròu fàn)…
Taichung
The owner of Miyahara has transformed an old bank (1966) into a trendy three-storey cafe and restaurant. The old vault doors and standing-height counter…
Northern Taiwan
English-speaking owner Pinyu presides over this cute cafe-restaurant with furniture hewn together by a local artist and funky hanging bottle lighting…
Kinmen
As you might guess from the carved granite bullock outside, this unpretentious but highly regarded family restaurant specialises in beef, along with…
Taipei
Opened in 2007 by a New Zealander, KGB (short for Kiwi Gourmet Burger) has developed a near-cult following because of its amazing burgers (including vegan…
Kaohsiung
A laid-back restaurant known for well-executed Taiwanese dishes and above-average pricing. At lunch, it's full of middle-class families and couples. At…
Taipei
Imaginative Taiwanese and western cuisine using tofu and lots of vegetables. The three-cup lion's mane mushroom is a delicious bowl of big meaty mushroom…
Eastern Taiwan & Taroko National Park
Choose from four beautifully presented sticky-rice meal sets that come artistically arranged on wooden plank-plates with well-chosen garnish dishes. The…
Taitung
This youthfully relaxed but moodlily atmospheric mod-Japanese izakaya does particularly satisfying don (rice-bowl) meals. The small tables are good for…
Pingtung County
A rustic indigenous restaurant that whips out great Amis and Paiwan dishes. Signature items include chicken soup (雞湯, jītāng) with local cinnamon, and…
Nantou County
Tasty, fresh-off-the-wok stir-fries and nourishing soups are what this cheerful neighbourhood joint offers. The Sichuanese kungpao chicken (宮保雞丁, gōngbǎo…
Chiayi
This food bazaar that starts at a roundabout with a fountain is one of Taiwan's neater and less crowded night markets. Chiayi, Changhua and southern…
Taitung
A whole row of ultrasimple eateries at Fugang Port offer superb fish at very reasonable prices, cooking up a catch that's just been landed from boats that…
Taichung
Qinyuan Chun offers hearty, old-fashioned Shanghainese cooking. The restaurant opened in 1949, the year Chiang Kai-shek and his forces fled to Taiwan, and…
Tainan
A narrow corner space that whips up a mean donburi (Japanese rice bowl), and other goodies like fried chicken and beer (served in frosty mugs). There are…
